


Galaxy Close to Home

by CabinOnAShore



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Fluff, Geographical Inaccuracies, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29447382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CabinOnAShore/pseuds/CabinOnAShore
Summary: Shane and Ryan have to lay low on Naboo for a while and it just so happens to be around the time of Naboo's Valentine holiday.
Relationships: Andrew Ilnyckyj/Steven Lim, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10
Collections: Shyan Shipping Society - Valentine's Exchange





	Galaxy Close to Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pretendimnothereplease](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretendimnothereplease/gifts).



> I'm so sorry this is pushing the time limit Nadia sjskdjg  
> I know nothing of Star Wars so I apologise for all inaccuracies. I wrote half of this while half asleep and it probably shows. I also have no recollection of writing half of this so enjoy!  
> Happy Valentine's Day

"Shane? Any idea on how to throw these guys off our trail?" Ryan shouted towards the back of the ship as a lanky figure stood over a control panel, hurriedly pressing buttons. He stumbled as Ryan flew the ship out of the way of the lasers getting shot at them.

There was a fleet of two troopers after them. Apparently lifting some extra fruit off a cart was illegal. 

"Do you think we have enough juice to do a jump?" Shane asked. He pressed in a command to return fire to their followers. A shot found its mark in the side of one of the ships, the damage enough to take out their engine.

"Let's hope so," Ryan grimaced and pushed the thrusters to the max. A wonderfully familiar wormhole opened up in front of them. Ryan shot through it and begged for the trooper to not be able to catch up to them.

They were spat out not a moment later and coasted to a stop, waiting for the other ship. It never came.

"Thank god," Ryan sighed and directed a course towards a landing site on the planet they had appeared next to. From what he could tell, it was Naboo, a perfect planet to lay low in. More specifically, they would be landing in the city of Theed.

When they landed, Shane moved to plop into the seat next to him, usually reserved for co-piloting. He turned slightly towards Ryan but kept his eyes trained out the window.

"You know, I really like this planet." Shane started. He sounded thoughtful, considering his words before he spoke them. "D'you think we could become farmers here? Change our names and raise some Shaaks on our little farm together?"

Normally Ryan could tell when Shane was doing a bit and when he was sincere. Now he couldn't read him at all. But he knew he couldn't admit that what Shane was talking about was all he wanted. To live with him forever because he was in love with his best friend. 

"Yeah? What would we change our names to?" Ryan laughed because he was scared. The ever persistent tendrils of fear of losing Shane wrapped around his throat and strangled him in moments like these. In moments that make him realize just how much he has to lose.

"Hm, C.C. Tinsley," Shane decided after some certainly careful deliberation. He had some faraway look in his eyes like he was just picturing it all coming together. 

"That's ridiculous," Ryan wheezed. Shane finally looked directly at Ryan, the corner of his mouth ticked up in just the slightest smile.

"Oh yeah? What'd your name be?" There was a challenge in the glimmer of his eyes. 

"Ricky- Ricky Goldsworth," Ryan shot back before Shane could insult him further. 

"That's-" Shane started but cut himself off with his own laughter.

"Shut up, I'm not the one with a cartoony detective name."

"That's cause you have the mafia boss name, Ryan." 

"Shut up, Shane." Ryan wheezed and spun his chair around. "We should head out. Get somewhere before the sun sets." 

"Aye aye, boss." Shane threw one last joke for the bit and followed Ryan out of the ship.

-

The city was alive. Lights and people from all planets surrounded them and low flying ships passed overhead. They could hardly hear each other over the sounds of conversations in a thousand different languages. 

A familiar man stood in a doorway, his hair currently a bright blond. He spotted them and shouted to gain their attention. The only reason they could hear him above the din was because he spoke the same language as they did.

"Steven!" Ryan called out in greeting but his voice was drowned out by a hundred others. 

Shane grabbed Ryan's hand to keep them from getting separated but a jolt of electricity still shot through his arm at the simple touch. Together they were able to weave through the crowd until they reached Steven.

Steven ushered them inside and shut the door, the noise now muffled enough for a conversation to be held without shouting. As soon as Steven turned to face the pair, they all broke out into laughter.

"Holy shit, Steven since when were you on Naboo?" Shane asked once he could get his wheezing under control.

"I just got here like two days ago I'm renting this out to get a feel for the place. When'd you guys get here?" 

"Two minutes ago," Ryan answered. "How'd you even see us?"

"I always recognize my friends." Steven smiled and it was tooth rottingly sweet.

"Oh, is Andrew here?" Shane asked, he pointed towards a second pair of shoes next to Steven's by the door. Surprisingly, Steven's face flushed bright red by the seemingly innocent question.

"Yeah, yeah, he came by yesterday and spent the night." Steven stuttered out as way of explanation. Then, as if he had heard him being talked about, Andrew appeared in a doorway further inside, his hair was a mess and his eyes widened when he saw the others.

"Oh, there's guests." Andrew carefully moved towards the kitchen, slowly relaxing out of his initial shock. 

"Sorry if we're intruding," Shane began to apologize but Steven waved it off.

"It's fine, don't worry," he gave them another angelic smile before he straightened up with an idea. "There's an apartment available next to us if you need a place to stay for a while. Or you can crash here for a few nights." 

"That's uh-" Shane started but Ryan could feel the passive decline and cut him off.

"That's great! Thank you so much."

"No problem!" Steven beamed. 

It wasn't until Steven walked them back towards the door after he had given them enough information that Ryan noticed he moved with a slight limp.

\--

The apartment came prestocked with furniture, making it more like a condo. The only problem was, there was one bedroom. And within that bedroom, there was only one bed. 

Shane and Ryan had shared beds before, sure, but not like this. Ryan suggested building a pillow wall between them but Shane discouraged him from unnecessarily wasting space. Ryan even offered to sleep on the couch but Shane refused to force Ryan into an uncomfortable sleeping arrangement and Ryan felt the same for Shane.

So when night eventually fell and the lights were turned out, Ryan made sure every part of his body was pushed as far away as it could be from Shane. It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep with him but it was because he didn't want to seem like he was throwing himself onto a friend who clearly didn't feel the same. 

Shane fell asleep easily, his abnormally long limbs sprawled on his side of the bed. Ryan struggled a little bit more with sleeping, he could sense every shift of Shane's body and was hyper aware of his own. By some miracle, he was able to eventually find some sleep as well.

What was by less of a miracle and more of a punishment from the gods, Ryan awoke to Shane's body wrapped around his own. Ryan's face was pressed into Shane's chest, their legs were tangled together, and Shane's slender fingers were threaded through Ryan's hair. 

Shane shifted with an incomprehensible mumble and his hand flexed slightly in Ryan's hair, his nails lightly dragged across his scalp. Ryan cursed himself for how it made goosebumps erupt along his body.

He doubted his abilities to get out of the bed without waking Shane and the warmth emanating from him was frankly intoxicating. Ryan decided to settle for waiting until Shane awoke on his own but somewhere along the way he drifted back off into sleep again.

When Ryan woke up again, it was to an empty bed. A pit settled in his stomach. He feared the worst, that he had scared Shane off when he did nothing to disentangle their bodies. 

His fears of Shane leaving entirely somewhat dampened after he heard something clattering in the kitchen and the smell of cooking waft into the bedroom. He rose from the bed and carefully moved into the kitchen, trying to avoid alerting Shane to his presence. 

Shane appeared to be cooking eggs, standing over a pan with a spatula in one hand. He flipped the egg and sprinkled some type of seasoning on it, Ryan couldn't tell what it was exactly. 

"I know it's a lovely view but you can't just stare all day," Shane spoke up suddenly. Although Ryan couldn't see it, he knew there was a big shit eating grin plastered on Shane's face. 

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm watching to make sure you don't burn the place down," Ryan sniped and crossed the kitchen to watch a bit closer. He realized that the seasoning was thyme. "Where'd you get all this?"

"Steven came bearing gifts this morning. You were zonked out so I didn't want to wake you." 

"Did he teach you how to cook while he was here too?" Ryan grinned at Shane's firm expression. 

"No, actually. I can cook eggs." Shane glowered at Ryan for a moment before returning his attention to the food.

Just to be a little shit, Ryan decided to further provoke Shane over his cooking skills.

"Is that part meant to be black?" Ryan asked, innocently pointing to a slightly darker patch on the egg that was nowhere near black.

"Yes, Ryan, it's flavorful." Shane sighed.

"Is that an eggshell?"

"Shi- oh fuck off, Ryan. If you're not gonna help me go back to bed." Shane shooed Ryan away as if he were an irritating fly.

"Are you grounding me?" 

"Yes, Ryan, you're grounded. Go to your room," Shane scolded him. Ryan could see his lip twitch up into a smile before he stamped it down. 

"Fine," Ryan pitched his voice higher like a prepubescent teenager, "but you're not my dad! I hate you!" 

"Go to your room!" Shane latched onto the bit, immediately taking the character of an exasperated father.

Ryan stormed off to the bedroom and moved to slam the door but caught it mid-swing and slowly eased it shut. He could hear Shane burst into wheezing laughter.

"Shut up, Shane," Ryan called out to him, barely stifling giggles himself. 

Since he was banished from the kitchen, Ryan decided to at least clean up. He took a shower (the water pressure wasn't anything to write home about), brushed his teeth, and changed into some actual clothes they brought off the ship. Once he was presentable, Shane informed him that breakfast was served.

"How long do you think we're gonna stay for?" Ryan asked over their breakfast of eggs and pancakes.

"A month or two sounds reasonable, we get to explore this planet and get the intergalactic target off our back." 

There was a comfortable silence between the two of them but Ryan could no longer ignore the pestering thoughts that rose up in moments like these.

"I can't believe everything that's happened only happened because I just happened to be passing by Kijimi and you just so happened to be very charming," Ryan tried for light-hearted but it flopped.

"Listen, Ry, I'm glad we got out of there before the planet," he trailed off slightly and tilted his head slightly, the motion supplying the words for him. "But you can't blame yourself, nobody knew what was going to happen."

"I'm just sorry if you wanted to stay with your family." Ryan picked at the eggs but his appetite was gone. Shane rose from his chair and offered to take Ryan's plate.

"It's fine," Shane said and the conversation was over.

-

Rather than waste the day away inside the apartment on the one day that Naboo celebrated as Valentine's Day, Shane and Ryan decided to explore the planet. There were rivers that ran through Theed but they weren't all that Naboo had to offer.

They took the ship, which they had hidden in an empty storage unit, and left the city of Theed. Naboo was a large planet, vast and overwhelming at times. They travelled into the Lake Country, deciding that going out into the natural world and swimming would help them relax.

They landed in an empty meadow near a river with a waterfall. The grass was long and soft against their skin. A cool breeze eased the edge of the sun's heat. 

"Shit, this place is perfect." Shane stretched out his miles of limbs to absorb the sunlight and Ryan had to avert his eyes to keep himself from staring at the revealed strip of skin.

"Yeah, it's really something." 

They spend their time alternating between sprawling out on the ground or floating in the water. Shane discovered that the river was quite lazy and Ryan wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to get Shane back out voluntarily.

-

Shane laid back on the shoreline, sand sticking to his skin as the sun's warmth washed over him. Ryan was in the waves, water sparkling on his skin. 

It was warm, the kind of warmth that soaked into his skin and made him believe that, maybe, just this once, everything was going to be okay.

One of the moons was still visible, hanging low enough in the sky to be occasionally eclipsed by Ryan. Shane thought it might be Ohma-D'un. 

Although Naboo's single sun was high above them, Shane knew there was a second sun on Naboo. Not in the sky but in the water and smiling at him.

"Are you coming?" Ryan called out.

"Nah, I'm good." Shane stretched out to illustrate his point. Ryan responded with an affirmative and dove back under the surface of the water.

Shane closed his eyes, meaning to get in a few extra minutes of sleep, when a shadow fell over him and a drop of water landed on his face. He opened his eyes to Ryan standing over him, dripping wet.

"I decided to bring the water to you," was all Ryan said before collapsing onto Shane like a puppet with his strings cut. The water that coated Ryan soon thoroughly soaked Shane who groaned under his weight.

"You're heavier than you look, Ry," Shane wheezed. He pushed at Ryan's shoulders but to no avail. Ryan lightly slapped his arm, taking offense.

"Sorry we're not all stickmen, Shane." Despite his quip, Ryan supported some of his own weight on his arms. 

"Alright your insults are terrible. Go back out there." 

Ryan rose with a defiant stick of his tongue out before he retreated back to the water. Shane laughed to himself and threw a hand over his eyes to protect them from the sun.

It wasn't long after when there was a splash, and then a scream. Shane darted up, scanning the water for Ryan but he wasn't there.

"Ryan!" Shane hoped it was some sort of cruel joke. He hoped it wasn't the universe taking away the only family he has right when he's found peace. 

He could feel his heart in his throat when he spotted Ryan breach the surface of the water. Instinct took over him in that moment, spurring him to run and dive straight into the waves. 

He swam towards Ryan trying to push himself to go faster with every stroke.

"Shane! Go back!" Ryan sputtered out, clearing water from his throat to speak. He opened his mouth to say something else but his body was pulled down and the water took him under again.

Shane launched himself forward to grab Ryan's hand before it disappeared along with him but his fingertips barely brushed him before he was gone. He then dove after Ryan, blindly reaching for any sign of him.

In a fit of desperation, Shane ripped his eyes open to see under the water. The sting was bearable in comparison to seeing Ryan once more. There was a shadow attached to his leg, dragging him down faster than Shane could swim. Shane decided he'd rather die than not try saving Ryan and kicked after him. 

At some point, Ryan lost consciousness. Shane could see it in the way he moved with the current rather than fight against it. Shane could feel himself on the verge as well, his lungs screamed for air he wouldn't grant them until he had Ryan in his arms. 

The hope of reuniting with his friend, with his love, waned with his consciousness. He couldn't resist the ache in his chest any longer and gasped for air. Water filled his lungs in its stead, burning his throat. He lost sight of Ryan, then lost sight of anything.

-

Ryan felt his back hit something and then pain and pressure flared in his chest. He rolled over and coughed, liquid poured out of his mouth with each wheezing breath. 

There was warmth soaking into his chilled skin which convinced him to peel open his aching eyes. The light blinded him momentarily and caused a sharp headache to form. He blinked his eyes into focus. There was a figure next to him. 

"Shane?" The word alone took most of his energy but when Shane didn't react, Ryan scrambled to reach the other. His legs were too weak to carry him so he crawled, dragging his body over the distance between them.

Another figure approached Ryan while he struggled to locate Shane's heartbeat. A strong and slick hand pushed Ryan away from Shane's body before rolling him onto his side.

Shane's body seized and then expelled the water that had accumulated in his lungs. His coughs racked his whole body and were accompanied by wheezing breaths. Although they sounded pained, Ryan thought it was the most glorious sound in the world.

The stranger, who Ryan now recognized as a Gungan, turned away and walked back towards the water.

"Wh- thank you," Ryan called after him. The Gungan paused, looking back at Ryan. He seemed about to say something but decided against it, instead inclining his head in acknowledgement. He continued into the water and disappeared under the surface.

Shane groaned, garnering Ryan's attention more so than the Gungan. Ryan moved to hover over him, unsure if he was meant to do anything. Shane's eyes opened and instantly focused on Ryan's face.

Shane brought a hand up to rest on Ryan's cheek, thumb brushing along the corner of his mouth. A wave of shock struck Ryan from that simple touch. He wanted more. He turned his face and kissed Shane's palm, watching Shane's face for any sign of discomfort. When he saw that there was nothing but pure infatuation, he moved to his wrist, then his cheek, then finally settled on his lips.

The urge to kiss Shane was something Ryan ignored for years. He first noticed it when Shane laughed at a joke that really wasn't all that funny, he threw his head back and his eyes crinkled in the most adoring way. He ignored the urge for all those years but perhaps after dodging death once again, ignoring something like that is ridiculous.

"D'you think there's ghosts on spaceships?" Ryan asked after silence had surrounded them for quite some time. They had settled on the ground together, still too shaken to do much but lie together.

"Absolutely not. There's no space ghosts." Shane immediately argued back.

"Are you saying that there's other ghosts than space ghosts?" The sand tickled Ryan's face when he turned to watch Shane.

"No- no. I'm saying there's no ghosts period. Especially on ships. What are they doing? Making the engines clank more than usual?" 

"Maybe," Ryan shrugged. Ryan could argue his case for hours, evidence of ghosts existing in places not limited to just planets. But the sun was warm against his skin and the air was fresh and somewhere along the way he drifted off to sleep.

Ryan woke back up to see Shane watching him sleep, his slender hands digging into the sand.

"Okay, creep." Ryan mumbled and rose from the ground, stretching his aching muscles. "How long have I been out?"

"Just around twenty minutes or so. Not long." Shane rose after Ryan. The sheer tallness of the other soon overwhelmed him and spurred him to turn back to the ship.

"We should head back. Steven will think we left him." Ryan said. He avoided looking back at Shane to not feel the twist in his stomach when he had to tilt his head up just to meet Shane's eyes. It's better when they're sitting.

-

The return to the apartment was uneventful. Ryan kept his focus on not crashing the ship and Shane's focus shifted every two minutes. 

They landed, hid away the ship, and walked back to the apartment. When they entered, they were greeted by the peculiar sound of thumping and cursing. It seemed that Andrew and Steven were celebrating the holiday in their own way.

Shane grabbed Ryan by the shoulders, spun him around, and pushed him back out the door.

-

With their plans of lounging around inside the apartment for the rest of the day foiled, Ryan suggested they try some of the popular attractions of the city. Shane, of course, suggested the opposite; he preferred the smaller, more local attractions.

With both of them too stubborn for their own good, they compromised with doing both. Ryan could pick three popular places and Shane could pick three local places. It wasn't a competition but of course they made it into one.

-

"I'm telling you, this food is a delicacy!" Shane brandished a small slimy blob he had skewered with his fork. 

"It looks like snot." Ryan cringed.

"Well yeah but it's good," Shane shrugged and popped it into his mouth. 

They spent twenty minutes in the bathroom afterwards.

-

"I heard that this park has the largest ride in the galaxy. It's a no fly zone so ships don't hit it." Ryan explained as they stood in line for the main attraction.

"That seems like a hazard." 

"It's perfectly safe." 

They spent twenty minutes in the bathroom afterwards.

-

They returned to the apartment once more as the sun began to set. The pounding had stopped and they barely had the energy to take their shoes off as they came inside.

Ryan collapsed into the bed, Shane quickly followed suit. Their hands found each other among the sheets, a solid comfort.

"Is this where I ask, 'what are we?'" Ryan asked. He moved so he laid facing Shane, his head propped on a pillow.

"If you want to."

"What are we?"

"We're whatever you want us to be." Shane answered immediately, he knew it was a cop-out answer.

"That's such a bullshit answer, Shane." Ryan called him out.

"Fine. I want us to be like this. Together, in a relationship, whatever you want to call it. I like what we have."

"I like what we have too." Ryan admitted. There was a question burning on the tip of his tongue but he wasn't sure if it was too soon to ask it. He didn't have to worry for long because Shane asked it for him.

"Do you want to live here?"

"I'll live anywhere as long as it's with you." Ryan sealed the promise with a kiss.


End file.
